Wilkes



(No Model.) 2 Sheets8heet 1.

W. WILKES.

HARROW.

No. 412,816. Patented Oct. 15, 1889.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

W. WILKES.

HARROW. v No. 412,816. Patented Oct. 15,- 1889.

UNITED STAT s PATENT OFFICE.

WVASHINGTON WILKES, OF SYLAOAUGA, ALABAMA.

HARROW.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 412,816, dated October 15, 1889.

Application filed February 12, 1889. $erial No. 299,565. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WAsHrNeroN WILKES, a citizen of the United States, residing at Sylacauga, in the county of Talladega and State of Alabama, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Harrows 5 and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to that class known as wheel riding-barrows, and those in which the tooth-frame is suspended from the upper frame by means of coacting levers, and it is especially designed as an improvement upon my prior patent, No. 359,339, dated March 15, 1887. In this prior patent I have found by experience that the rear extension of the intermediate frame sometimes interferes with the operation of elevating the suspended tooth-frame, because the latter comes in contact with the frame while being raised clear of uneven ground, or while endeavoring to relieve the teeth of clinging tufts of grass. A further defect which my present device is intended to overcome is the tendency of the tootlrframe to be drawn upward by the draftchains while the harrow is advancing, and a still further defect which is overcome in this invention is the friction and expense caused by the intermediate frame.

With these ends in view my invention consists in the peculiar features and combinations of parts more fully described hereinafter, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a perspective view of my complete device, in which the tooth-frame is shown depressed and in active operation; Fig. 2, a side elevation showing the tooth-frame raised, so that the teeth will clear the ground; and Fig. 3, a detail plan of the tooth-frame.

The reference-letter A represents the seatframe of the harrow. This frame is supported upon the axle B of the main wheels 0 by means of standards D, and carries upon it the seat F, together with a pair of coactinglevers G H, which levers are fulcrunied in the standards I, and their long arms pass through and are confined within the upright loop J. This upright loop is provided with an internal ratchet with which the front lever engages,

all of which have been fully shown and described in my prior patent and do not need further description.

K indicates a V-shaped tooth-frame suspended from the rear lever upon the seatframe by the chain or flexible connection L and from the bolt V by means of a horizontal elongated loop X and link V. The rear end of the tooth-frame is provided with a toothbar V, which projects beyond the tread of the wheels, whereby the harrow is made to cover up a larger space than would be permitted by the frame proper. The tooth-frame is drawn by means of a pair of draft-chains or other flexible connections 0 c, which have their opposite extremities connected, respectively, to the rear cross-bar b and a pair of downwardly projecting hooks e 6. These hooks are rigidly seouredto the Wheel-axle by means of bolts f f, passing transversely through the axle, and by means of them the draft-chains are arranged to have a horizontal strain and do not tend to raise the frame in the operation of pulling it forward.

The adj ust-able bolt V, previously men t-ioned, passes through the front bar of an intermediate frame M, and this frame is hinged to the front of the wheel-axle by means of hooks R upon the side bars R and screw-eyes Q, fastened to the axle. These hooks upon the intermediate frame permit it to be easily removed when necessary and to swing up and down when actuated by the lever G. The forward end of this frame is limited in its downward play byapair of S shaped hangers S, suspended from the side bars of the seat frame. The lower loop 3' of these hangers prevents the intermediate frame from swinging laterally, and as the tooth-frame K is suspended therefrom it is also prevented from lateral play. The height of the forward end of said hinged frame is regulated by the front lever G, to which it is attached by means of the chains or other flexible connections 71 2',

and as the tooth-frame is suspended from the intermediate frame both frames operate in unison to regulate the depth penetrated by the forward teeth.

The oblong loop X upon the front end of the tooth-frame allows the latter a limited horizontal movement to accommodate the slack in the draft-chains just prior to the forward IOU advancement of the harrow, and it will be ob served that the entire pulling strain is brought to bear upon them, while none is brought upon the front bolt V.

The singletree 9 upon the pole h is connected with the axle by means of a pair of flexible connections or chains 01 n, which connect its opposite ends with the main-wheel axle, and thus limit the swing of the tree, and while so limiting it they serve to occasionally bring a portion of the strain directly upon the axle.

The preferred manner of constructing my device having been set forth, I will now proceed to briefly describe its operation.

When in active service, the tooth-frame K is allowed to bear by its own gravity upon the ground to be cultivated, and this is accomplished by disengaging the levers G and H, as will be seen in Fig. 1 of the drawings, and while thus wholly resting upon the ground the teeth of the barrow-frame will enter the ground to their fullest extent; but if it is desired to harrow the ground less deeply the levers-can be depressed and locked in one of the lower notches, the depth that the teeth will harrow being determined by the adjust ing-levers, as in myprior patent. As the harrow advances, the hinged frame in front of the wheel-axle will always keep the forward end of the tooth-frame in true position against lateral displacement, while it will at the same time allow it to be elevated above any obstruction such as may come in its way. WVhen the harrow is not in operation, the tooth-frame can be raised clear of the ground by depression 3 5 of the coacting levers, and the whole device wheeled about from place to place with great facility.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a wheel-narrow, the combination of a top frame carrying coacting levers, a toothframe having its rear end suspended by flexible connections from the rear lever, an intermediate frame hinged to the side of the axle and being suspended from the forward lever by flexible connections, a pair of hangers in which the side bars of said frame operate, an adjustable supporting-hook extending downfrom the hinged frame, and links connecting the latter to the forward end of the toothframe, all arranged and adapted to operate in the manner and for the purpose substantially as described.

2. In a wheel-harrow, the combination of a top frame, an intermediate frame hinged to the barrow-axle and having a depending hook in its front portion, a tooth-frame having an elongated link in its forward end, and a link 60 connecting said depending hook and elongated link, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

lVASHINGTON WILKES.

Witnesses:

M. D. IVEY, J. S. WILKEs. 

